Karnataka - Bangalore   

Yeddyurappa sends a message to bureaucracy

BANGALORE: Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has indicated his stamp of authority to the bureaucracy in the State in no uncertain ways. Nearly a third of the IAS and the IPS officers serving in the State have been shifted out to new assignments with some being preferred for plum postings and others for relatively unimportant positions.

In the words of the Chief Minister “I have posted the right man for the right job”. Of the 249 IAS officers in the State cadre, about 90 have been shifted. Of the 137 IPS officers in the State, 52 have been shifted.

Unlike his predecessors H.D. Kumaraswamy and N. Dharam Singh, Mr. Yeddyurappa has opted to convey to the bureaucracy that he means business.

Barring the senior most IAS officers who are serving as additional chief secretaries to the State Government, the Chief Minister has shifted a large number of the principal secretaries and officers in the suppertime scale of the IAS leave alone those serving as deputy commissioners in the districts.

Mr. Yeddyurappa told The Hindu: “I have gone by the principle of posting the right people for some of the crucial and vital positions which impact people directly. It is not that I have gone about the transfer of senior officials in a ham-handed manner. I held informal consultations with a number of them and based on their aptitude, confidential records and performance thus far, have given them new postings. I will not tolerate lethargy and inefficiency.

The Government’s programmes for the welfare of the State and its development should be implemented in letter and spirit.” Transfers and postings in the IAS here started from day one after the new Government took charge on May 30 with Mr. Yeddyurappa personally choosing the officials to form part of the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.

While in the first round, 61 officers were reshuffled, in the second round 20 were shifted. This apart another 10 officers were transferred during the past month. “Their performance will now be closely monitored by the Chief Secretary. I will myself review the performance of the bureaucracy vis-À-vis the implementation of Government’s programmes every three months,” he said.

The shake-up of the bureaucracy has included the transfer and posting of 52 IPS officers, including the appointment of Director-General and Inspector-General of Police (R. Srikumar) and Commissioner of Police for Bangalore Shankar M. Bidari. It was only coincidental that K.R. Srinivasan retired on June 30 as Director-General and Inspector-General of Police which enabled the new Government to choose a new head for the police force.

The State Government has gone by seniority in the appointment of the DG and IGP. The same has been the case in the Indian Forest Service wherein Dilip Kumar has been appointed the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF).

It is perhaps the first time in three decades that the bureaucracy has been given such a shake-up.

The bureaucracy has already started delivering.

The wife of a farmer who died in police firing at Haveri on June 10 has been provided a job at the Haveri taluk office.

In the normal course, government appointments on compassionate grounds take over a year.

The same has been the case relating to the construction of an airport terminal building in Bidar and allocation of Rs. 15 crore for the overall infrastructure development of Bidar in connection with the 300th year commemorative function of Guru Govind Singh.

The local people represented to the Chief Minister about a fortnight ago and the administration following the directions of the Chief Minister has provided the requisite funds.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

A treat for children
Bag lost and found, but money is still missing
SI arrested on graft charge
Ex-engineer gets RI
BJP subverting democracy: JD(S)
BJP replicating its Goa formula
Yeddyurappa sends a message to bureaucracy
Seminar on social justice in education
Horticultural varsity opposed
On a mission to spread green cover
DSS protest
Maldives’ tourism plan
Keeping intact a fine tradition
Slow and steady wins the race
India International Travel Mart begins
Boy’s body found in well
Boy run over by tractor
Bidari: probe in murder cases will be speeded up
Normality returns to J.C. Nagar
Bangalore today

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu